Heirinji Zen Temple, Niiza City

Spectacular autumn color trip

Masato Kitamura Dec 05, 2013 - 1 min read

<p>Also the belfry is surrounded by maple trees.</p>

<p>The main gate of the Buddhist temple</p>

<p>The variety of colors is fantastic, too.</p>

<p>The entrance to the temple grounds</p>

<p>Red maple roof, and the sky above</p>

<p>There are nice and comfortable walking paths that lead you through the colorful forest.</p>

<p>Traditional building with a thatched roof</p>

<p>Even the graveyard looks beautiful now.</p>

I went to Heirinji Zen Temple during the last week of November and it turned out to be an excellent choice. The autumn colors were at their peak, and as the temple grounds are very large, there was a lot to explore. It was a weekday, so there were no crowds, just a few other middle-aged people like me with their cameras, but have a look yourself!

To get there take the Tobu-Tojo line express train from Ikebukuro, Tokyo, to Asakadai station (15-20 minutes). There are regular bus services from there, which take another 15 minutes or so. Alternatively you can walk directly to the temple from JR Niiza station (30 minutes).

Masato Kitamura @masato.kitamura

I was born and grew up in Nagano city. After that I lived in Osaka nine years. Later years I live in Kanto plain. I worked for 36 years as a programmer and related business in a software company. I was retirement of 60 years old. Now I’m doing a part-time job at near my house. I like personal ...